SOLUTION MANUAL
Research Methods For Business Students
8th Edition Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis
Chapters 1 - 14, Complete
3
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
, Contents
Chapters Pages
Introduction 5
1 Business and management research, reflective diaries and the purpose
of this book 15
2 Choosing a research topic and developing your research proposal 19
3 Critically reviewing the literature 23
4 Understanding research philosophy and approaches to theory development27
5 Formulating the research design 32
6 Negotiating access and research ethics 36
7 Selecting samples 40
8 Utilising secondary data 44
9 Collecting data through observation 48
10 Collecting primary data using research interviews and research diaries 54
11 Collecting primary data using questionnaires 59
12 Analysing data quantitatively 63
13 Analysing data qualitatively 68
14 Writing and presenting your project report 72
Appendix 75
1 Research project assignment 75
2 Group poster research project assignment 80
3 Research proposal assignment 84
4 Additional cases on the companion website 89
INTRODUCTION
An overview of the instructors’ manual
This instructors’ manual provides commentary for the eighth edition of the textbook
Research Methods for Business Students. The commentary is on a chapter by chapter basis and
includes:
chapter learning outcomes;
summary of the content;
comments on likely student reactions and possible use of materials;
4
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
, ideas for students’ preparatory work;
suggestions for delivery in the classroom;
ideas for students’ follow-up work.
In addition, we have included a copy of a research project assignment, a group research
projectposter assignment and a copy of a dissertation proposal assignment as appendices.
Research Methods for Business – an overview of the eighth edition
Pedagogic features
The over-riding purpose of Research Methods for Business Students is to help undergraduate and
postgraduate students and students on professional courses to undertake research. Each
chapter deals with a part of the research process and discusses the ideas, techniques and
methods using aslittle jargon as is possible. Tables, checklists and diagrams are used to aid
this discussion. Wherenew terms are introduced for the first time, they are shown in bold, and
a definition or explanation follows shortly afterwards. They are also listed with a brief
definition in the glossary. The application of appropriate information technology is
considered, in most instances as an integral part of the text. Chapters have been cross-
referenced as appropriate, and an index is provided tohelp students find their way around
the book.
Focus on student research boxes are included within the text of each chapter. These are based
on actual research projects, undertaken by students, in which points made in the text are
illustrated. In many instances, these worked examples illustrate possible pitfalls students
may come across while undertaking their research. Where a pitfall has been illustrated, it
will, it is hoped, help your students avoid making the same mistake. Further illustrations
are provided byfocus on management research and research in the news boxes.
Focus on management research boxes discuss recent research in business and management.
These are normally derived from refereed academic journal articles, and students are likely
to beable to download the actual articles from online databases at their university.
Focus on research in the news boxes provide topical news articles that illustrate pertinent
research-related issues. All these will help students to understand the technique or idea and
to assess its suitability or appropriateness to their research. Boxed checklists provide students
withfurther focussed guidance for their own research.
A summary of key points at the end of each chapter can be used by students before and after
reading the chapter to ensure that they have digested the main points.
Self-check questions enable students to check they have understood the chapter. These can all
be answered without recourse to other (external) resources. Answers are provided to all the
self- check questions at the end of each chapter.
Review and discuss questions follow the self-check questions. These suggest a variety of
activities students can undertake to help them further develop their knowledge and
understanding of the material in the chapter, often involving discussion with a friend.
Self-test multiple choice questions and true/false questions for each chapter are available on this
book’s companion website.
All chapters include a section towards the end titled “Progressing your research project” that can
5
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
, Saunders, Research Methods for Business Students, 8e, Instructor’s Manual
be undertaken as part of the student’s research project. These are presented in sufficient detail
toenable them to focus on the techniques that are most appropriate to his or her research.
By completing all these sections, the student will have also completed his or her project
report.
Each chapter is also accompanied by references, further reading and a case study.
Further reading is included for two distinct reasons:
to direct students to other work on the ideas contained within the chapter;
to direct students to further examples of research where the ideas contained in the
chapterhave been used.
Case studies at the end of each chapter are all new to the eighth edition. They have been drawn
from a variety of business and management research scenarios and have been based on the
case study’sauthors’ students’ experiences when undertaking a research project. They have
been written to highlight real issues that occur when undertaking business and management
research. To help focus students’ thoughts or discussion on some of the pertinent issues, each
case is followed by evaluativequestions, answers to which are provided on the Instructors’
Companion Web Site. A case study follows every chapter. A further 75 case studies from
earlier editions of the book are available onthe Students’ Companion Web Site; answers to
these cases are provided on the Instructors’ Companion Web Site. A complete list of these
cases is provided in Appendix 4.
Contents
Chapter 1 outlines the nature of research and, more specifically, of business and
management research. The basic versus applied research and relevance debates are
considered and advice offered regarding keeping a reflective diary or notebook. The chapter
concludes with an overview of the purpose and structure of the book.
Chapter 2 is written to assist students in the generation of ideas, which will help them to
choosea suitable research topic, and offers advice on what makes a good research topic. If
your studentshave already been given a research topic, perhaps by an organisation or tutor,
they will need torefine it into one that is feasible and should still therefore read this chapter.
After their idea hasbeen generated and refined, the chapter discusses how to turn this idea
into clear research question(s) and objectives. (Research questions and objectives are
referred to throughout the book.) Finally, the chapter provides advice on how to write a
research proposal.
The importance of the critical literature review to students’ research is discussed in Chapter
3. This chapter outlines what a critical review needs to include and the range of secondary
and primary literature sources available. The chapter explains the purpose of reviewing the
literature, discusses a range of search strategies and contains advice on how to plan and
undertake a search and to write the review. The processes of identifying key words and
searching using online databases and the Internet are outlined. It also offers advice on how to
record items and to evaluate their relevance as well as discussing plagiarism.
Chapter 4 addresses the issue of understanding different research philosophies including
positivism, critical realism, interpretivism, post modernism and pragmatism. Within this,
the functionalist, interpretive, radical humanist and radical structuralist paradigms are
discussed. Deductive, inductive, abductive and retroductive approaches to theory
development kare kalso kconsidered. kIn kthis kchapter, kstudents kare kchallenged kto kthink kabout
ktheir kown kvalues kand khow kthey kview kthe kworld kand kthe kimpact kthis kwill khave kon kthe kway
6
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
Research Methods For Business Students
8th Edition Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis
Chapters 1 - 14, Complete
3
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
, Contents
Chapters Pages
Introduction 5
1 Business and management research, reflective diaries and the purpose
of this book 15
2 Choosing a research topic and developing your research proposal 19
3 Critically reviewing the literature 23
4 Understanding research philosophy and approaches to theory development27
5 Formulating the research design 32
6 Negotiating access and research ethics 36
7 Selecting samples 40
8 Utilising secondary data 44
9 Collecting data through observation 48
10 Collecting primary data using research interviews and research diaries 54
11 Collecting primary data using questionnaires 59
12 Analysing data quantitatively 63
13 Analysing data qualitatively 68
14 Writing and presenting your project report 72
Appendix 75
1 Research project assignment 75
2 Group poster research project assignment 80
3 Research proposal assignment 84
4 Additional cases on the companion website 89
INTRODUCTION
An overview of the instructors’ manual
This instructors’ manual provides commentary for the eighth edition of the textbook
Research Methods for Business Students. The commentary is on a chapter by chapter basis and
includes:
chapter learning outcomes;
summary of the content;
comments on likely student reactions and possible use of materials;
4
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
, ideas for students’ preparatory work;
suggestions for delivery in the classroom;
ideas for students’ follow-up work.
In addition, we have included a copy of a research project assignment, a group research
projectposter assignment and a copy of a dissertation proposal assignment as appendices.
Research Methods for Business – an overview of the eighth edition
Pedagogic features
The over-riding purpose of Research Methods for Business Students is to help undergraduate and
postgraduate students and students on professional courses to undertake research. Each
chapter deals with a part of the research process and discusses the ideas, techniques and
methods using aslittle jargon as is possible. Tables, checklists and diagrams are used to aid
this discussion. Wherenew terms are introduced for the first time, they are shown in bold, and
a definition or explanation follows shortly afterwards. They are also listed with a brief
definition in the glossary. The application of appropriate information technology is
considered, in most instances as an integral part of the text. Chapters have been cross-
referenced as appropriate, and an index is provided tohelp students find their way around
the book.
Focus on student research boxes are included within the text of each chapter. These are based
on actual research projects, undertaken by students, in which points made in the text are
illustrated. In many instances, these worked examples illustrate possible pitfalls students
may come across while undertaking their research. Where a pitfall has been illustrated, it
will, it is hoped, help your students avoid making the same mistake. Further illustrations
are provided byfocus on management research and research in the news boxes.
Focus on management research boxes discuss recent research in business and management.
These are normally derived from refereed academic journal articles, and students are likely
to beable to download the actual articles from online databases at their university.
Focus on research in the news boxes provide topical news articles that illustrate pertinent
research-related issues. All these will help students to understand the technique or idea and
to assess its suitability or appropriateness to their research. Boxed checklists provide students
withfurther focussed guidance for their own research.
A summary of key points at the end of each chapter can be used by students before and after
reading the chapter to ensure that they have digested the main points.
Self-check questions enable students to check they have understood the chapter. These can all
be answered without recourse to other (external) resources. Answers are provided to all the
self- check questions at the end of each chapter.
Review and discuss questions follow the self-check questions. These suggest a variety of
activities students can undertake to help them further develop their knowledge and
understanding of the material in the chapter, often involving discussion with a friend.
Self-test multiple choice questions and true/false questions for each chapter are available on this
book’s companion website.
All chapters include a section towards the end titled “Progressing your research project” that can
5
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
, Saunders, Research Methods for Business Students, 8e, Instructor’s Manual
be undertaken as part of the student’s research project. These are presented in sufficient detail
toenable them to focus on the techniques that are most appropriate to his or her research.
By completing all these sections, the student will have also completed his or her project
report.
Each chapter is also accompanied by references, further reading and a case study.
Further reading is included for two distinct reasons:
to direct students to other work on the ideas contained within the chapter;
to direct students to further examples of research where the ideas contained in the
chapterhave been used.
Case studies at the end of each chapter are all new to the eighth edition. They have been drawn
from a variety of business and management research scenarios and have been based on the
case study’sauthors’ students’ experiences when undertaking a research project. They have
been written to highlight real issues that occur when undertaking business and management
research. To help focus students’ thoughts or discussion on some of the pertinent issues, each
case is followed by evaluativequestions, answers to which are provided on the Instructors’
Companion Web Site. A case study follows every chapter. A further 75 case studies from
earlier editions of the book are available onthe Students’ Companion Web Site; answers to
these cases are provided on the Instructors’ Companion Web Site. A complete list of these
cases is provided in Appendix 4.
Contents
Chapter 1 outlines the nature of research and, more specifically, of business and
management research. The basic versus applied research and relevance debates are
considered and advice offered regarding keeping a reflective diary or notebook. The chapter
concludes with an overview of the purpose and structure of the book.
Chapter 2 is written to assist students in the generation of ideas, which will help them to
choosea suitable research topic, and offers advice on what makes a good research topic. If
your studentshave already been given a research topic, perhaps by an organisation or tutor,
they will need torefine it into one that is feasible and should still therefore read this chapter.
After their idea hasbeen generated and refined, the chapter discusses how to turn this idea
into clear research question(s) and objectives. (Research questions and objectives are
referred to throughout the book.) Finally, the chapter provides advice on how to write a
research proposal.
The importance of the critical literature review to students’ research is discussed in Chapter
3. This chapter outlines what a critical review needs to include and the range of secondary
and primary literature sources available. The chapter explains the purpose of reviewing the
literature, discusses a range of search strategies and contains advice on how to plan and
undertake a search and to write the review. The processes of identifying key words and
searching using online databases and the Internet are outlined. It also offers advice on how to
record items and to evaluate their relevance as well as discussing plagiarism.
Chapter 4 addresses the issue of understanding different research philosophies including
positivism, critical realism, interpretivism, post modernism and pragmatism. Within this,
the functionalist, interpretive, radical humanist and radical structuralist paradigms are
discussed. Deductive, inductive, abductive and retroductive approaches to theory
development kare kalso kconsidered. kIn kthis kchapter, kstudents kare kchallenged kto kthink kabout
ktheir kown kvalues kand khow kthey kview kthe kworld kand kthe kimpact kthis kwill khave kon kthe kway
6
© Pearson Education Limited 2019
